Many thought Collins had ended the series after the 2010 publication of Mockingjay — she even wrote in 2015 that it was "time to move on to other lands." But four years later, she surprised readers and the publishing world when she announced she was working on what became The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, released in 2020 and set 64 years before the first book. Collins used parts of Greek mythology and the Roman gladiator games for her earlier Hunger Games books. But for the new book, she said she was inspired by the Scottish philosopher David Hume, and what he described as "the easiness with which the many are governed by the few." She added that the book will also look at the use of propaganda and "the power of those who control the narrative." The film version of Songbirds and Snakes, starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, came out last year. This fall, a Hunger Games play is set to open in London.